Can't Fight the Moonlight
by DrEaMsxCoMexTrUe
Summary: James Potter has had a crush on Lily Evans since the moment he laid eyes on her. But there's only one problem: Lily hates his guts. Will a potentially life threatening situation turn out to be exactly what James needs to finally make Lily fall for him?
1. Confrontation at King's Cross

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters!**

Ch. 1

17-year old James Potter walked through the massive crowds inside London's King's Cross Station, on his way to the brick wall that was the gateway to platform 9 ¾. As he pushed his way through the groups of muggles bustling about, he thought about how relieved he was that this was the last time he'd ever have to do this.

"Stupid muggles!" James muttered to himself as he nearly ran over a man with his trolley, after the man had come to an abrupt halt in front of him. Ignoring the man's indecent glares his way, James navigated his trolley around him and continued to fight through the crowds. Finally, after two more near-crashes with muggles, James arrived in front of the brick barrier separating platforms nine and ten.

"Well, this is it," James told himself, as he stared as the seemingly solid wall, "The seventh year begins!"

James was obviously standing in front of the barrier for longer than he had realized, because, before long, he felt a hard poke on his right shoulder, which was accompanied by an angry voice.

"Let's get a move on, Potter!" the voice said, "I don't have all day. What are you waiting for, a written invitation?"

Startled, James jumped. He quickly regained himself, however, and turned around to find himself staring straight into the angry yet beautiful emerald green eyes of his Hogwarts classmate and longtime crush Lily Evans. She was standing in front of him with her hands on her hips, appearing greatly annoyed.

"Oh, hello Lily!" James exclaimed, in an attempt to lighten the mood, "Nice to see you! How were your holidays?"

"_Don't _talk to me, Potter!" Lily ordered, "Just shut up and get out of my way."

"Whoa, no need to be hasty, Lils," James laughed, "I was just offering a friendly greeting."

"Well, don't," Lily replied, "I'm already running late, and I don't want to miss the train. Now move."

James just stood there.

"Did you _not_ hear me? I said move!" Lily exclaimed, slightly louder than she had intended. Looking for the source of the commotion, a few muggle passersby turned their heads and glanced in Lily's direction. Lily blushed, while James just attempted to keep himself from bursting out laughing.

As soon as the muggles had looked away, however, James spoke up. "I heard you loud and clear," he said, "But you didn't say please. And I refuse to move until you ask nicely."

"You're wasting my time, James," Lily stated, "Now stop messing with me, or I'll hex you out of the way!"

James snickered. "Yeah right," he smarted off, "We're in the middle of a _muggle_ train station. You wouldn't dare."

Lily blushed again, this time so brightly that her face almost matched her fiery red hair. James had caught her. She would never jinx someone with so many muggles around, and he knew that. Reluctantly, she gave in.

"Fine, fine," Lily stated, "I wasn't going to hex you. But will you please just move?"

"Of course," James replied sweetly. And without hesitation, he moved his trolley off to the side of the barrier, clearing the way for Lily. Immediately, she passed him, and went on without another word.

"Aren't you going to thank me?" James called after her.

But Lily just ignored him. James watched her closely as she disappeared through the barrier, and he wondered why she hated him so much. He had longed to go out with her since the day he laid eyes on her, but Lily refused every time he asked her. Usually, one would just give up after experiencing so much rejection, but James wasn't like that. He knew that this year, their seventh and final year at Hogwarts, would be different. James had determination, and he would make Lily fall for him if it was the last thing he ever did.

**- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -**

**Hey! My name is Claire, and this is my first ever Harry Potter fanfiction. I really hope you enjoyed the first chapter. But whether you did or not, please review, because I would love to hear your opinions!**


	2. James' Posse

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

Ch. 2

"And then, she just left, completely ignoring me. I swear, that girl is a mystery."

James, who was sitting in a compartment onboard the Hogwarts Express with his three friends, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew, finished up telling them about his encounter with Lily in the train station. Upon his completion of the story, they appeared as perplexed as him. For a while, no one said a word. The four of them were obviously deep in thought.

"Maybe she really doesn't like you," Remus finally suggested several moments later.

Shocked at what he was hearing, James turned his head in Remus' direction and just stared at him with wide eyes.

"Moony, have you been taking stupid potion again?" James questioned, "Of course Lily likes me. No girl can resist the Potter Charm. It's scientifically impossible."

Sirius laughed. Remus, however, just rolled his eyes. Sometimes he really didn't understand why he was such good friends with James Potter. The two of them were completely different people. Sirius, on the other hand, could have been Potter's long-lost twin. The two of them were girl magnets, and both had egos the size of California.

Just then, Sirius spoke up.

"Prongs, it's obvious that she's just playing hard-to-get," he replied, "You know Evans. She probably thinks having a boyfriend would distract her from her schoolwork or something."

"So true, Padfoot," James stated, laughing, "What a crazy girl that Lily is."

"What do you think, Wormtail?" Sirius asked, turning to face the fourth and quietest member of the Marauders, "You haven't said a word all day."

Wormtail, who was staring at the laces on his shoes, snapped his head up and looked at Sirius. "Oh, um, I-I…d-don't know," he stuttered, "I-I g-guess…"

James cut him off. "Don't think too hard, Wormtail. You might hurt yourself."

Sirius laughed again.

"So, what are you going to do about her?" Remus asked, still thinking that James was overanalyzing Lily, but finally deciding to just play along with the whole thing anyway.

"I'm not sure," James stated. The look on his face made it clear that he was thinking very hard.

**OooOooO**

While James and his posse sat in their compartment carefully contemplating the Lily situation, Lily herself was walking up and down the corridors of the train. As Head Girl, it was her duty to seek out all the troublemakers, which often times consisted of unsuspecting first years attempting to levitate their friends or perform other kinds of magic.

"Whoa there, those aren't allowed on the train," Lily suddenly said, as she came across a compartment of third year boys playing with a bunch of dungbombs, "I'll have to take those."

The boys groaned.

"Hand them over," Lily ordered, ignoring their moans and sticking out her hand, "_All_ of them."

Muttering unkind words under their breath, each of the boys pulled out a couple dungbombs and reluctantly placed them in Lily's outstretched hand.

"Thank you," Lily replied, firmly grasping the dungbombs, "Now, you better not have anymore, or I'll have to report you. Understand?"

The boys didn't answer.

"I said, understand?" Lily repeated, pointing a finger at the nervous-looking third years.

"We understand," the boys whispered.

"Glad to hear it."

And before the boys could say another word, Lily turned around and re-entered the hallway.

**OooOooO**

Back in the Marauders' compartment, the four boys were finally talking again.

"The way I see it, Lily is not going to give in very easily," Sirius stated, "You have to press her. It's the only way she'll crack."

"So, I just keep doing what I've been doing for the last six years?" James asked skeptically.

"Exactly," Sirius replied, "Continue asking her out as frequently as possible. She's bound to give in eventually."

"Got it," James said, as he scribbled Sirius' advice down on a blank piece of parchment. "Anything else?"

"Well, if for some unknown reason that doesn't work, jealousy is the next way to go," Sirius replied, with the air of someone who thought he was an expert.

James didn't respond.

"You need me to explain this, too?" Sirius appeared stunned. "I swear Prongs. Someone like you should know this stuff."

"How would I? I've never been in this kind of situation before. Girls never turn down James Potter."

Remus, who was sitting next to the window and attempting to stay out the absurd conversation, rolled his eyes and stifled a small giggle. James and Sirius, however, did not even notice. They just kept on talking.

"Well, basically, you need to pick another girl to go out with, and make sure that Lily sees you together all the time," Sirius explained, "Then, she'll get jealous, and won't be able to resist you."

"You're a genius, Sirius!" James exclaimed. He scribbled this piece of advice on the parchment, as well.

"Ha Ha! Black? A genius? You must be kidding me."

The sudden addition of a girl's voice into the conversation startled the Marauders. They glanced up, and saw Lily standing in the doorway of the compartment.

"Well, hey there gorgeous," James stated, smiling at the sight of Lily, "Not that I disapprove of you being here, but to what do I owe this pleasure?"

"I'm guessing she couldn't resist your charm any longer," Sirius piped in, elbowing James in the ribs and winking at him. The two burst out laughing.

"You two are sick!" Lily replied, a look of disgust on her face.

James began laughing harder. "Obviously you don't really think that," he said, smiling again, "You came here on your own, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did. But for your information, Potter, I'm Head Girl," Lily announced, "And as Head Girl, it's my duty to weed out troublemakers like you four." She looked around the compartment and individually eyed each of the Marauders.

"Lily, I'm hurt." James pretended to sound upset. "You think that we're causing trouble?"

"Oh please," Lily replied, "You act so innocent. If you're such angels, then why are you _constantly_ in detention?"

"We're just always in the wrong place at the wrong time," Sirius explained, "You see, the four of us don't have the best of luck."

"Sure. Whatever you say," Lily said, "Now if you don't mind, I have to get back to my patrol."

And with that, Lily left the compartment and continued down the hallway.

James leaned back in his seat and stared at the now-empty doorway. "She totally wants me," he told his friends once Lily was out of earshot.

**- - - - - - - - - - - - - -**

**A/N: I'm sorry it look so long for this update. I had terrible writer's block. But I have my whole story planned out now, so hopefully it won't take so long for updates. As for the reviews I received, I am taking them to heart. You wanted longer chapters, so I will try to do so. This chapter is a bit longer than the first, but it's still not that long. I'll keep trying to make them longer, though.**

**As for this update, I hope you enjoy it. Please read and review!**

**Claire**

**P.S. -I apologizeto anyone who may have this on alert who got multiple e-mails. I kept having problems with the update. Hopefully that won't happen anymore.**


	3. The Start of Term Feast

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

Ch. 3

The rest of the train ride passed quickly. Before James and his posse knew it, the sun had set, and their view outside was obscured by the darkness of night. Taking the darkness as a sign that they would soon be arriving at Hogwarts, the four boys packed away the chess game they had been playing, and quickly changed into their uniforms and robes.

Within five minutes, the red steam engine had pulled into Hogsmeade Station and slowed to a halt. Loud chatter filled the train as students instantly gathered up their belongings, pushed towards the exit, and poured out onto the platform. Wanting to be among the first to reach the Great Hall for the Start-of-Term Feast, James and his posse hurried out of their compartment and began to push their way through the throngs of people crowding the hallway, knocking down a few unsuspecting first and second years in the process. They soon reached the platform, and were immediately greeted by the loud, booming voice of the Hogwarts' Gamekeeper Hagrid, who would be leading the first year students to the castle via boats across the Black Lake. For the rest of the students, a long string of carriages awaited to transport them to the castle.

OooOooO

While James and his posse hurried to the first carriage in line and hopped inside, Lily took her time and slowly made her way off the train. Instantly upon stepping foot on the platform, she was greeted a high-pitched voice calling her name.

"LILY!!"

Lily looked around and soon spotted her best friend Ashley Aldridge a few feet down the platform. Standing beside Ashley and waving excitedly were the two girls' other friends, Katie Conway and Laura Reynolds.

"Oh my gosh, hi guys!" Lily squealed, running up to her friends and wrapping her arms around each of them in turn, "How were your holidays?"

"They were okay," Ashley answered, "I had fun, but I missed this place and you guys so much."

Lily smiled. "I missed you, too," she said, "I'm so glad to be back here. Ever since I started at Hogwarts, the summer holidays are so dull. I don't see you all for two months, and I don't even have magic to keep me occupied. Living in the Muggle world is torture for a witch of age."

While Ashley and Katie laughed, Laura asked, "So I take it Petunia's still not talking to you?"

"Are you kidding?" Lily said, with a tone suggesting that Laura was crazy for even thinking such a thing, "Tuney has barely said five words to me in six years. I wish she'd just get over herself and realize it's not my fault I'm a witch and she's not."

The girls all laughed again.

While continuing to talk, Lily and her friends made their way down the platform and headed toward the shrinking line of carriages. They finally reached one that was not occupied, so they hopped in and took a seat. All four of them then fell silent for a few moments, attempting to savor the memory of their last carriage ride up to Hogwarts Castle. After a couple minutes, however, Katie broke the silence.

"Do you guys ever wonder what's pulling these carriages?" she asked, staring in the direction in which they were moving with a look of mixed wonder and confusion on her face.

As soon as the question popped out of Katie's mouth, Ashley and Laura giggled. They knew it was just a matter of time before it was asked.

"Katie," said Lily, who was also giggling, though less noticeably, "We go through this every single year. Nobody knows how these carriages are moving. But I suspect it's just some sort of enchantment."

Katie began to blush. "I was just asking," she replied softly.

Sensing Katie's embarrassment, the other three girls stopped laughing and fell silent once more.

OooOooO

Several feet up ahead, the first carriages began arriving in front of the main doors of the castle. Still determined to be the first to the feast, James and his posse did not even wait for their carriage to stop before pushing open the door, jumping out, and bounding up the castle steps. Upon reaching the top, they sprinted through the entrance hall and into the Great Hall, where they grabbed a seat at the Gryffindor table.

Behind James and his friends, the rest of the Hogwarts students exited their carriages and proceeded into the Great Hall. As the tables slowly filled up, James fixed his eyes on the doorway and waited for Lily to enter.

"Where do you suppose she is?" James asked eagerly, not shifting his gaze for a second.

"Whoa, Prongs, calm down," Sirius said, sensing the nervous tone in James' voice, "Give the girl a few minutes before you send out a search party for her."

Remus, who had been quiet up until this point, began to laugh. James, however, did not think the situation was so funny, so he turned away from the doorway and shot Remus an evil glare. Remus turned bright red and fell silent immediately.

"Oh, Prongs, look who it is!" Sirius suddenly exclaimed. It was now he who was looking at the doorway.

"Is it her?!?" James asked excitedly, looking at Sirius and then redirecting his gaze to the doors.

"Nope, even better. It's Snivellus," Sirius said, referring to their fellow seventh year Severus Snape. Sirius pointed, and he and James watched as Snape walked through the Great Hall and headed toward the Slytherin table.

"Blimey, what did he do this summer?" James asked as Snape sat down, "His hair looks greasier than ever."

"Who knows," Sirius said, "But I reckon we ought to give him a shower and help him wash some of that out!"

James and Sirius laughed. They were cut off quickly, though, as suddenly an angry female voice spoke up behind them. Not anticipating this, James and Sirius jumped. Looking for the source of the voice, the two of them turned around and found Lily standing there with her three best friends beside her.

"Why do the two of you always have to pick on poor Severus?" Lily asked, "What did he ever do to you?"

"I think his existence is reason enough," Sirius said, laughing. He stopped abruptly, however, when he realized that James was not laughing with him. Instead, he was speaking.

"We're sorry, Lily," James apologized, "We didn't mean anything by it."

"Oh please," Lily said, "You're not sorry. I heard you laughing at Black's lame joke. Do you think I'm stupid or something?"

"Of course not!" James exclaimed, "I happen to think you're the smartest girl in this school."

"Oh, how kind of you," Lily said sarcastically, clearly not buying James' attempt at flattery. She shot him a glare to make sure he understood this.

"Come on Lils," came Ashley's voice suddenly. "Let's find a seat. Just forget about them."

Hearing Ashley speaking, Lily turned away from James and looked back at her friends.

"Alright," she said, "Let's go."

Unfortunately for Lily, the Gryffindor table had filled up fast, so, because there were few open seats left, she could not get as far away from James and his posse as she had hoped. From where she and her friends were sitting, she could still hear every word the Marauders spoke. The Marauders were unaware of this, however, and they began to continue insulting Severus Snape the moment the Sorting of the first-years was completed and Professor Dumbledore had finished his start-of-term speech.

"The git is obviously into the Dark Arts," James said between bites of his steak-and-kidney pie, "I wouldn't be surprised if he joined up with You-Know-Who."

"Probably," Sirius replied, "He has no friends, so he probably thinks it's the only way anyone will ever appreciate him."

James laughed. Lily, on the other hand, groaned.

"What's wrong, Lily?" Katie asked, looking up from her plate and staring across the table at her friend.

"They're what's wrong," Lily said, pointing down the table in the Marauders' direction.

"If they bother you so much, then stop listening to them," Laura said.

"Yeah, tell us more about your summer," Ashley requested, "Surely it couldn't have been all bad."

"I guess it wasn't," Lily said, "Mum took me shopping in London quite a bit. It's not the same as Diagon Alley, but it's still okay."

"Well, just think about it," Katie said, "At the end of this year, you can move out of your parents' house and live in the Wizarding world permanently."

Lily laughed. "That's true," she said.

Before long, Lily and her friends were so deep in conversation that thoughts of the Marauders finally escaped her mind. The four girls talked all the way through the rest of the dinner, stopping only to watch their table clear of the dinner scraps and then fill again with masses of mouth-watering desserts.

"Did I tell you all about Petunia's new boyfriend?" Lily asked as she took a bite of treacle tart.

Ashley, Katie, and Laura dropped their forks. "No!" they all exclaimed.

"I can't believe you're just mentioning this now!" Ashley said, "I'd think this would be bigger news than shopping in London!"

Lily laughed. "I guess I just forgot. The guy's awful after all. I tend to not want to think about him too much."

The other girls laughed.

Dinner soon ended, and after everyone had their fill of dessert, the tables cleared once more. Professor Dumbledore made another short speech, and then sent the students off to their dormitories. Lily and her friends got up from the table, followed the rest of the Gryffindors out of the Great Hall, and made their way up to Gryffindor Tower. Unbeknownst to Lily, James was watching her the whole way.

"Blimey, she's so beautiful," James said to his friends as he continued to stare her way.

**--------------------------------------------------------**

**A/N: Wow, so I started this story a really long time ago. I never thought I'd write anymore, but after Deathly Hallows came out, I was in a fanfic writing mood. So here is chapter 3. Read and review please!!**

**Claire **


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